CAPE TOWN – Parliament scored a victory at the Western Cape High Court on Friday morning.

A full bench of the Western Cape High Court dismissed AfriForum’s urgent bid to stall Parliament’s consideration of the land expropriation without compensation report from its joint Constitutional Review Committee on amending section 25 of the Constitution.

The lobby group had applied to the High Court to halt Parliament’s constitutional review committee report from being passed onto the National Assembly for debate and possible adoption on 4 December.

Parliament’s constitutional review committee has welcomed the court’s decision, saying it’s a victory for South Africans, in particular, the landless.

The committee was tasked with leading the process of reviewing Section 25 of the Constitution which included public hearings on the matter.

Committee co-chairperson Lewis Nzimande says the ruling means Parliament can continue with its work unhindered.

The national legislature had argued that the matter was not urgent and AfriForum’s application was premature as it was filed before the debate on the report.